French renews a passion for hoop with success

Tuesday

Dec 4, 2012 at 3:15 AM

By BRETT FERRELLPortsmouth Herald

DOVER — When Susie French took a year off from basketball during her freshman year at the University of Maine, she realized just how much she had missed the sport — and Central Maine Community College is happy she felt that way.

French has been all over the court in her first year of playing basketball for Central Maine as a sophomore. Eleven games into the season, the Mustangs are 9-2 with French averaging a team-high 19.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She’s shooting 48.5 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent on 3-point pointers.

“She is the most versatile player I have ever been around,” said Mustangs coach Andrew Morong. “She has the ball-handling skills of a point guard and the ability to shoot like a shooting guard.”

French has been on the basketball court for as long as she can remember, from her elementary-school days in Greenland to her days at Portsmouth High School, where she was a first-team All-Division II player as a senior. She was recruited by a handful of small colleges in the area, but did not find any of them suitable for her academic desires.

French spent 18 months away from her sport when she attended the University of Maine. While there, she kept her skills sharp by playing pickup games at the school facilities, but decided Orono was not her destiny, either.

She decided to transfer to CMCC, which is located in Auburn, Maine, and enroll in the justice studies program. She added in her application that she was interested in playing for the women’s basketball team, and Morong took notice.

The Mustangs’ fast-paced playing style was the most difficult hurdle in French’s transition back to competitive basketball. After she played forward for Portsmouth, Morong placed her at guard to utilize her quickness and shooting ability.

“I had to play a lot of forward for my years (at Portsmouth), so that helped a lot because now I can bounce in between both positions,” French said.

Her height also gives her an edge with shooting and defending. At 5-foot-11, she is the tallest player on her team.

The transition back into the sport following a one-year hiatus was relatively smooth for French. To Morong, it did not appear that she had been away from the sport for long.

“She came in with such an open mind and I think she had gained a new respect for the game,” said Morong. “The situation that she came into was a perfect fit for her. We’re a big family and we have a lot of fun off the court, and I think that was what she needed.”

Averaging 27 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 3.5 assists in two victories over University of Maine-Augusta and St. Joseph’s, French was selected as the Player of the Week in the Yankee Conference recently, as well as UFCAA Player of the Week.

“She earned the respect of not only the coaching staff and her teammates, but of everyone at the school,” Morong said.

What French likes best about her role on the team is the camaraderie she has with her teammates.

“We all hang out (and) we all see each other around school,” French said. “You have friends right off the bat.”

Morong knows he can also use French to guard their opponents’ best players.

“She doesn’t take a possession off and that means the girl she’s guarding can’t either,” Morong said. “We can play her for 40 minutes if we need to.”